This savory-sweet treatment for pork tenderloin was brought to The Times in 1989 by the inimitable Marian Burros. With just five ingredients — pork, brown sugar, whole-grain mustard, rosemary and sherry — you have an extremely simple though supremely satisfying dish. We like ours served with mashed sweet potatoes and a pile of sautéed greens, and the leftovers make great sandwiches.

1½pounds pork tenderloins
3tablespoons brown sugar
2tablespoons grainy mustard
2teaspoons chopped fresh or dried rosemary
2tablespoons dry sherry

Step 1

Pat the tenderloins dry with paper towels.
Step 2

Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl and stir. Add pork tenderloins and turn to coat well with marinade. Marinate for 15 minutes or as long as overnight.
Step 3

Heat a large cast iron skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat until smoking. (Alternately, heat a charcoal or gas grill to high; bank coals or turn off burner on one side.) Season tenderloins with salt and pepper. Brush pan with olive oil and add tenderloins; reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, turning tenderloins every 3 to 4 minutes, until deeply caramelized on all sides and until desired internal temperature, about 20 to 25 minutes. (You can also broil the tenderloins in the oven — about 10 minutes on one side, then turn and cook about 5 minutes on the other.)
Step 4

Remove and lightly tent with foil; let rest about 10 minutes before cutting into ¼- to ½-inch slices.